The Trip [Solo]

[Serrif Von Chatlyn]

16th Fall 511AV Serrif woke, he noticed though almost immediately that the acoustics were different. Maybe the wind had died down around him? Yes that had to be it. The waves weren’t as loud as they normally were. For some reason they had been exceptionally violent lately. But this morning, it was quiet. There was hardly any sound at all. It was a somewhat uneasy peace for him. He was used to a certain level of noise, and then to not have it…well it was different. And in this case it was very unsettling to him. He wanted routine, but at the same time he didn’t want routine as well. It was an interesting conflict within him that he was trying to resolve. But he knew that he wanted a little of both. He wanted some things to stay constant and others to stay liquid. He wanted options, even though he didn’t know all of them nor what they would bring. His body woke and he stirred from his tent. He was just coming to when he saw a lone figure with a small pack sitting on the beach not far from him. It was Ildin. Well it wasn’t hard to know where he lived. He was the only one who pitched a tent near the ocean and beach. And well Ildin likely knew this and well she was waiting for him. Another one of her weighted backpack excursions down and back on the beach? He couldn’t know for sure. But he approached her and spoke. “Morning Ildin.” He said as she nodded and stood. “Indeed it is. Grab your bow, arrows and anything you may need. But no food, and only minimal water; we will be moving fast.” She said as she shouldered her pack and waited. Serrif didn’t want to keep her waiting on him. He packed his bow into its leather pouch and his arrows along with the bow as well. He packed his large waterskin at his side and well that was really all he brought. His bow slung in its leather pouch over his back and his waterskin at his side. He was going to pack light indeed. He didn’t figure he would need anything else. He left his cloak and rolled up the sleeves on his shirt almost to his shoulders. This would allow him to breathe better and his heat to dissolve into the cool day’s air. He had prepared himself, or so he thought. And he walked back to meet with Ildin. She eyed him and was seemingly pleased. She knew he had no idea what they were doing, and that was good. She didn’t want him to know. He trusted her, and she needed that trust. And she needed him to come to a realization as well. One that he would come to in the next few days. “Ready.” He said as Ildin then nodded and began pace to the north along the beach. He didn’t have a clue of where they were going, he only knew he was following Ildin. And she held a decent pace. One that he could keep with easily. But after about an hour or so he was beginning to wonder…just how far north were they going? He didn’t question her though, she would stop when they got there. And only she knew where that was, only she knew the exact location. He didn’t and he trusted she wasn’t taking him somewhere absurdly dangerous. But he trusted her, and knew whatever she was throwing at him he could handle. And handle he would. That was all he could hope for; was that he could and would overcome the challenges laid out before him. Ildin didn’t speak, she was thinking. She knew where she was taking him, far to the north. To the outcroppings. A place few knew about only because few explored this Isle completely. Many were content with staying indoors and visiting the beach maybe every now and then…she was not one of these people. She needed variety and exploration. And her pupil provided her with an opportunity to do this. The continued like this for some time and then Ildin spoke to him. “I’ve been thinking about our first meeting Serrif. You still show the same stubbornness to fail as you did that day with the other training student. Even though you knew she would beat you. That did not deter you. Why?” Serrif didn’t really have to hesitate on a response. “Because if I was going to fail, I was not going to bow out. I was going to go down on my feet. Not on my knees.” His answer reflected much of what he believed inside. This answer made a smile creep across Ildin’s face. Her pupil was ready to go past his abilities and try harder than ever before. He had proved this time and time again. “Surrender wasn’t an option for you?” She queried. “No, it didn’t cross my mind.” He said as they continued walking north…where were they going?

[Serrif Von Chatlyn]

Ildin continued their walk to the north, neither of them saying much as these untouched beaches and wilderness crowded in around them. It was all absolutely beautiful. This island had been so untouched by the void around it. The absence of beauty that he seemed to see everywhere he could remember. Although his memories were only of the camp as for now; he had no memories of anything before that. And still did not know why that was. Everything before the slave camp was nothing, things that happened during the camp were fuzzy and after the camp he remembered clearly. During the time in the camp his memories were fuzzy, and spotty as well. They still drive him crazy during the night. Why his memories were completely decayed like this he had no reason for. And he still couldn’t come up with a reason for. But he knew all would come to him in good time… It had still been hours on top of the hours they had already spent walking. He had no idea where they were going or why. Ildin kept secrets, he knew this. But her reasoning for doing so was beyond him. Everything in his mind always seemed like another one of her tests. Another thing she wanted to prove, another event she wanted him to experience. Another life skill she thought she had to have. Almost everything was a lesson with her. She had reasons, and he agreed with him for the most part. Sometimes he disagreed with her methods, but her results were impeccable. He could see why the Mothers Circle had such a bone to pick with her. Almost every time he brought up her name the Konti were startled that he had stuck with her this long. She was a very interesting teacher. And he knew that interesting was another word for peculiar among the Konti. But Serrif saw who she was. Through training with her he had seen who this Archery Mistress was. She was stern, and iron fisted. But everything she did held a since of honor about it. She was fierce in her teachings and exact in her methods; everything was precise. Everything. She was disciplined to the end and had enjoyed pushing his physical limits and seeing how far he was willing to go. She was comfortable with letting him fail if it meant that he would learn. She was content with letting people fail on their own and just stop. But he also knew that she was gaining respect for him. He could feel it in the way she dealt with him. It was subtle enough but he did catch it time to time. She was beginning to see her student grow. The sun was hanging high in the sky, it was mid day and still they were moving along the beach toward an unknown destination. “Mistress where are we going?” Serrif asked as Ildin then replied rather easily. “Somewhere.” Her answer brought a smile to his face, but a reluctant one. That was Ildin; she never revealed her reasoning or plans to him. Almost everything was cryptic and had hidden meaning. Sometimes he understood it. But there were still plenty times he did not. And he was comfortable with that. Sometimes not knowing was better than knowing. And Ildin obviously had plans she wanted to kept hidden for now. But he knew he would figure them all out when the time was right. His eyes caught a glimpse of her reaching into one of her belt pockets and pulling out an apple. She looked to him and then tossed it. He caught it not really expecting it and she then pulled out another one and ate it as they walked. “One day Serrif…One day despite everything I have taught you.” She took a bite of the apple and then continued once she had cleared her mouth. “You will have to kill. It may not be for your self defense; it may be for another person’s self defense, or even so you can eat. And I need to know you are capable of this. I will not send you out into the world unprepared Serrif.” She said as she took another bite of the apple. “Out into the world Mistress? Whatever do you speak of.” Serrif was confused. He had no plans to leave the isle as of now. Ildin likely knew something that he did not. Or so it would seem to him. “Serrif, you will leave the Isle one day. It’s only a matter of time. Human males like you find this place fascinating I know. But it is hardly a place for them. So you will eventually leave. And I am not going to do you a disservice and send you unprepared out into the world. It would shame me to do that Serrif.” She said continuing to walk north Serrif trailing close behind. Ildin spoke true words, everything she said was true. He didn’t feel as much at home as he could. And he was beginning to see this place as more of a place to lick his wounds then an actual home. Yes he felt this was true. But he could see himself staying here…or could he? This Isle didn’t seem to be where he was needed. But he was doing good work. He was learning what he needed to do…but he was learning not practicing. It seemed this was more of a school for him. Again a place for him to find himself and finally be stronger then he could be before. He knew that the day would come where he left this isle. And it seemed Ildin wanted him to be very prepared for what could and likely would lay ahead for him. But where was this little excursion taking them? Again he was a little uneasy that her excursion was taking them this far out into the wilderness. But Mura didn’t seem like that wild of a place to him. It was tame in comparison to the other place he remembered.

[Serrif Von Chatlyn]

He continued to follow her up the beach. He was glad he packed light. It made things far easier for him. Packing light for this day excursion was definitely worth it. He still felt like had plenty of energy even though all he had to eat so far was a simple apple. But he kept on going. The pace was relatively easy and he could keep up easily. But it seemed like Ildin was purposely conserving energy for one reason or another. Maybe she had even more plans for them today? It was possible, Ildin wouldn’t bring him all the way out here for no reason at all. There was always a method behind Ildins perceived whims. She always had a reason for doing what she did. And he relied on this. She could’ve taken him out here to kill him; but that thought didn’t really even cross his mind. The island had changed his perception of life. And had helped him find himself deep within the serenity of the isle. They walked for about an hour more; the beach line had changed some. He hadn’t been to this area of the Isle before. The sand gave way to a rocky shore with outcroppings and waves lapping against them sending impressive ocean sprays into the air. This place was indeed a hidden beauty. It was interesting how he hadn’t even heard of this place before now. But he knew the isle held many secrets within it. One of which was its coastline. He had no idea on the many others. It seemed like the Konti kept a plethora of secrets from visitors. And to them he was just another simple visitor to the isle. He couldn’t help that they felt this way. But he knew that what they thought wasn’t far from the truth. But he had a feeling that something was indeed coming his way. Like a ship out at sea he could see it from the shore of his current life…but he just couldn’t make out the details yet. Ildin stopped and set down one of her two bags. The larger one she set among the ocean smoothed rocks. She then picked up another pack containing a bow and quiver. She pulled the bow from the pack and well that was Serrif’s cue. He knew to follow her so he did the same. He pulled his bow out of its pack and strung it putting his quiver at his side. He watched her as she carefully pulled a select few arrows from her quiver and handed them to him. They were different than normal arrows. The heads were broader and somewhat barbed. These arrows were meant for hunting, not shooting targets. The added weight of the sharpened slicing head would hit a target far harder than a normal arrow would or could for that matter. So they were likely going to be hitting live targets…was she taking him hunting? He took the arrows from her and put them in his quiver. “Thank you mistress.” She nodded then spoke. “You will need to know how to hunt Serrif. For your own survival out there. So I brought you here.” She said as she rid herself of the cloak she wore and set it next to her things. Serrif did the same and well his questions were answered. They would be hunting today. “Hunting for what Mistress?” He asked as ildin nodded and then watched as she then spoke. “The woods are thick with deer. We will try to strike down the largest one we see. It may require the two of us to fire together to bring it down though. So be aware, you will fire first, then I will lead behind you.” That was an interesting method to Serrif. Two arrows one target. They would indeed have to fire almost right after each other. And her reason for letting him go first…well he was less skilled then she was and firing after Ildin would be more difficult for him. Whereas he knew Ildin had more than the skills needed to pull off such a task. He nodded and with that Ildin began stalking off into the woods. He watched how she stepped, avoiding things that could make an absurd amount of noise like fallen limbs and twigs of almost all kinds. Her steps were light and she bent at the knees while she walked trying to muffle the impact of her feet on the ground. He did the same and followed closely behind her. She was watching and looking, he didn’t know for what but his senses were nearly taxed with just making sure he didn’t give himself away. He wasn’t very good at this stealth thing. But he would try and just simply mimic Ildins movements. He followed her and kept his eyes open as they stalked through the trees. This was going to be an interesting hunt indeed.

[Serrif Von Chatlyn]

It was quiet here in the forest. Only the whispering of the wind through the trees greeted the two hunters. There were birds, but the two hunters weren’t interested in birds. Ildin stopped and knelt down. Serrif followed suit. She then traced her hands through the patterns in the soil that an animal had made. The tracks were unfamiliar to Serrif; being that he wasn’t a hunter. She looked at the tracks and then motioned for him to come down to her. She then whispered to him almost as gentle as the breeze. “These are the tracks of a deer, but given the size it is likely an older male deer. You will also see the tracks of the hindquarters fall outside the front tracks toward the inside. This is because the make deers chest is wider than the female. Also” She said motioning for him to feel the tracks. They would be soft and not really set very well in the dirt. “They are fresh.” Serrif said in a whisper as Ildin then nodded. They continued more walking through the forest using the trees as cover and making sure to stay downwind of where they thought the deer would be. They would stalk for nearly an hour before they found the deer. It was a larger deer just like Ildin said it would be. The two of them stalked carefully making sure not to make any sound if they could help it. Serrif followed Ildin’s lead and made sure not to make any noise. And he succeeded. Ildin stopped and then motioned beside her to another tree where she wanted Serrif to stand. They were only ten feet from each other in the woods and a good 40 feet from the deer who really wasn’t paying attention for some reason. It couldn’t smell them because they were downwind from it. That helped them a tremendous amount he was sure. The deer was bending down and sipping water from a cool stream. The noise of the water flowing through the forest likely helped mask their approach. Serrif looked to Ildin who was now knocking an arrow in her bowstring signaling that this was it. They were in position. Serrif nodded and did the same knocking a broad-head hunting arrow into his bow as he then looked back to Ildin. She nodded and readied herself. Now came the moment of truth for Serrif. Could he take a life? Ildin knew that he would have to. The time would come where he wouldn’t be able to skirt the idea of taking a life anymore. He would have to make a stand. Even though she taught him zen archery she knew that she had to be a little more practical with him. He wasn’t a Konti. He didn’t think like one of her sisters, he was far more practical than they were at times. He was steadfast in his beliefs, and he believed one thing at the core of himself. This core belief had risen several times in their training. She had pushed him to break him, and he responded right back actually giving her everything he had. Every last ounce of energy in his body. She knew when a student was really burned out; and Serrif had consistently pushed himself right over that edge to where his body actually had nothing left. She knew so many of her students held back on her. They would say they were done when she knew they had so much more left. But Serrif, he pushed right until his body quit, and even then at times he even tried to keep pushing almost to the point of injury. That was where she needed him to be. She needed him to reset his very boundaries and get himself to where he wanted to be. He had proven to her that he was able and willing to actually give her everything he had…everything he was. This outlined his trust for her. And she didn’t abuse this trust. Serrif looked downrange, and just like a target he took into account wind. There wasn’t any right now. He then took into account distance, about forty feet. He noted when he picked up the arrow that it was a little heavier in the head than a normal arrow. This meant that it would get slightly less accurate at good distances. However at forty feet the arrow wouldn’t drop a great distance. He moved a foot forward to take a better pose and wasn’t completely paying attention. CRACK! He stepped on a twig and the deer immediately looked up and ran off before Serrif could pull back and loose an accurate arrow onto target. He noted what direction the deer ran in and Ildin came up and laughed a little. “Be sure to look where you step. And try to hit the deer just above its front legs. That’s where the heart is.” It was good that they startled the deer off. If they hadn’t Serrif would’ve put an arrow just wherever it landed on the deer. Ildin then again stalked off to try and find the deer again. It left fresh tracks so they would easily be able to follow them through the forest. As long as Serrif didn’t make any more mistakes. But this time he would be very careful of where he placed his feet, and how he placed his feet as well. He didn’t want to startle the deer off for a second time. That would be very embarrassing for him. He knew he could do this. He had the skill set after all. He followed Ildin carefully through the jungle of trees for a good thirty minutes or so. The entire time they were looking for signs that they were still tracking the deer. And they were. The prints were still in the dirt. They were still right on target for the deer. Ildin was going to find this deer. And see what her pupil was really capable of.

[Serrif Von Chatlyn]

The deer moved in a straight line away from them. It was interesting but it seemed it wanted to just put as much distance between them as possible. Like it didn’t care to make tracking it difficult, it just wanted to get away. So Ildin was able to track this deer easily. It didn’t make for much of a challenge at all honestly. Which was good because she really didn’t want to have to track it all day through the forest. Although there were plenty of other deer they could hunt. But she had her mind set on this deer. She wanted to in a way prove superiority over it. And well it would make for a healthy amount of meat and a good amount of buckskin as well. They tracked for a decent amount of time creeping through the woods to find their mark together again. And eventually they did find him. The deer was sticking it’s face into some brush to eat berries. But his body was much taller than the shrubs he was eating from. Ildin crouched and motioned, but Serrif had seen the animal and was already knocking his arrow. They were a good sixty or so feet away. And they would need to close that gap to help guarantee a kill. He knew this and then laid out a path in his mind across the terrain. He would use all available cover and keep himself as low to the ground as possible. He would go from tree to tree to help keep himself out of the view of the deer. He would also avoid fallen sticks and leaves so that he made as little noise as possible. This way he would be able to sneak up on the deer without being noticed. He was sure Ildin would follow behind him as well. Or maybe she would lead. He wasn’t completely sure. Ildin motioned for him to move up and he did just that. Crouching low with his bow at his chest the arrow pointed down so he could easily explode up and fire if needed. He wouldn’t let his target get away unscathed this time. No he would mark it one way or another. He crept up to a large tree slowly and then peered around it slowly to see what the deer was doing; mainly if it noticed him or not. He looked around and the deer was still eating the berries in the bush. He looked and there Ildin was only about ten feet away behind another tree. She nodded and motioned again. Again he headed out to another tree closer to the deer. Careful yet again not to make any sounds that would give him away. The deer was sitting only about fifty feet away from him now. When he made it to the next tree he was only fifty feet away from his target. He knew that this was too far away to get an accurate arrow on the deer. Especially since he had to be so precise. He knew he could hit the Deer. But what mattered was where he hit the deer. He didn’t know what would happen if he just simply put an arrow into the deer. But he knew Ildin was a crack shot at what she did. And she could put the deer down if he missed horribly. He knew Ildin could make the correct mark if he couldn’t. So he continued to creep up. Marking each of his steps carefully as he made his approach. Every step was measured and he knew he couldn’t afford to make a mistake when he was this close. The deer was thrashing around some in the bush. So it appeared to him that it was too busy to be aware of what was going on around him. Serrif hoped this would hold out for him. That the deer would remain unaware of him. He got to forty feet away and hid behind another large tree. Ildin was moving up right beside him against another tree. She looked to him and knew he was indeed ready. She nodded and Serrif peeked from behind the tree to look at the deer. It was still unaware of his presence. He pulled up his bow and pulled back the bowstring. He noted the wind and there again was none. The deer was only forty feet away. Close enough for the arrow to do real damage, especially with the sharpened broad-head arrow. He knew he had to hit perfect in order to put the deer down. But he doubted if he could. But he had done more difficult things before. And Ildin was here to help him out. He committed and released the arrow to meet the Deer. At that same time he heard a second release as well coming from his left side. It was Ildin. His arrow met the deer but it was just a little too high to hit the heart directly on. But before the deer could sprint off a second broad-head arrow met the deer straight in the heart, causing massive amounts of damage. But the deer still ran off but only for about twenty feet before it stammered and fell over tripping over itself as blood poured out of its body. It’s heart was absolutely useless because of the amount of damage the perfectly placed broad-head did to it. He nodded glad that he could mark his target as well as he had. He was off and frankly glad that Ildin was there to assist him. The two of them moved quickly to the target. The life was draining from the animals eyes as they approached. It was through suffering though. It’s brain function was hardly there anymore. And then it just died, right there on the forest floor. Ildin nodded pulling her arrow out as well as Serrif’s. “Your shot would’ve killed him eventually. You only would’ve been chasing him following a blood trail for about a few miles.” “I’m glad you were here Mistress.” He said as Ildin nodded and spoke again to him. “So am I. Go ahead and pick him up.” She said as Serrif then followed her instructions and burdened the large animal. He carried the animal all the way to where Ildin had laid out her pack. “Now to dress the deer. This again is something you will need to learn.” She pulled a dagger from her pack and handed it to him. “And I will teach you how.”

[Serrif Von Chatlyn]

The dagger she handed him didn’t have a long length blade. It was only about three and a half inches long and about an inch wide. And what was curious was only one side was sharpened. As he looked the blade over it was indeed sharper than most daggers he had handled. Likely meant for just this purpose. Ildin then spoke again instructing him. “First you need to remove the sex organs. Cut a circle around them and then cast them into the ocean if you want. The fish will likely eat it." Serrif did as he was instructed and then waited for her next set of instructions. “now cut around the rectum and pull out the intestines until they snag. Pull gently.” Serrif then nodded and carefully with the very sharp knife did as Ildin instructed. He then pulled on the intestines and was surprised just how much intestine there was inside the animal. Just when he thought there couldn’t be anymore there was. He eventually felt it snag and Ildin handed him a small length of twine. “Tie it off close to the animal” She said and he did just as she asked. “hands” She said as Serrif then exposed his hands to her palm up. She then poured a very strong alcohol over them. “Clean them.” And Serrif rubbed them getting off anything that was disagreeable before Ildin had him cut open the inside of the deer. “This next part is very important. You will cut here.” She said drawing an invisible line with her finger from the top of the rectum to the throat of the animal. “But there is a good way and a bad way to cut. I will save you the trouble and teach you the good way.” She said asking for the dagger back. Serrif obliged and then watched. “This is the right way.” She said as she gripped the dagger with her thumb along the handle pointing in line with the blade. She also took her other hand and used it as a guide for inside the animal. “Your other hand will help pry the opening wide and also use a trailing finger to make sure you aren’t cutting so deep that you puncture organs." She then handed the dagger back to him and watched carefully. He was cutting her dinner too. Serrif carefully mirrored what Ildin had showed him and then went to work. He inserted the knife carefully near where he made the cut in the rectum. He then imagined the line Ildin drew. Right between the ribs all the way to the neck. That was easy enough for him to do. He made the starting cut and then inserted two of his fingers along the ridge and then a third finger into the cut near the edge of the blade to watch for organs and such. He imagined muscle would be dense while organs would be soft. That was an easy enough way to tell the difference. He proceeded slowly making sure not to puncture anything. Having a smaller knife made things easy for him. The knife was also very sharp so had to make sure not to cut himself or any organs while he did this. Having Ildin there to guide him made things much easier for him. He finally reached the neck and then waited. “Good now make a cut here.” She said as she drew another imaginary line across the deers chest. It would make things a little easier for him. After he did this Ildin then spoke again. “Alright open the cavity and locate the bladder, it should be yellow in color.” Serrif located the bladder and carefully first grabbed the little tube leading from it and then cut it free so urine wouldn’t leak everywhere. He then cast the bladder out into the sea. “Now we need to remove all the other organs. There is an easy way to do this.” She pointed to the inside of the cavity along the ribcage walls at a white-ish tissue that held the inner organs in place against the ribcage. “Cut these then we can easily pull the organs out with minimal work.” Serrif nodded understanding what she said and did as she asked. One by one the white tissue was cut and the organs were freed. Ildin pointed to two organs inside the chest cavity. “Now remove the heart and liver.” She said as Serrif again nodded and cut the organs free casting them again out into the ocean. Just as he was about to cast out the liver Ildin stopped him. “Not the liver…we need to look at it.” She said having him hold it for her to look at. “The liver will tell you the health of the animal. You see how there is no discoloration, blisters, or sores. This is a good sign.” Ildin said as Serrrif looked the liver over. He nodded and Ildin then let him cast the organ out to sea. “And pick out the rest of the organs.” Serrif reached in and one by one removed the rest of the organs inside the beast casting each into the ocean as he did so. The intestines were easy to do since most of it was already outside the body. “Now we need to skin it.” She said as she then noted the position of the sun…it was going to be setting soon. They wouldn’t be heading back tonight. “Second thought I will skin the deer you go and find wood for a fire.” She instructed as she motioned to a hatchet she had laying on the ground. “Will do Mistress.” He said washing his hands in water before taking the hatchet off into the woods to find wood for a fire.

[Serrif Von Chatlyn]

Serrif headed into the forest armed with a hatchet. He was here to collect wood. And he knew that one of the best places to find this wood would be trees that had already fallen over. He could cut off a couple limbs and branches. He spotted one such tree and walked over. Some of the wood was soggy and rotten. But that was only the wood that was sitting on the ground. There were limbs that were off of the ground that were easily chopped off. He cut one four foot section off and then pulled it back onto the tree and cut it into smaller pieces. He stacked all of this on some dry ground about four feet away. He then cut off three to four more limbs like this and then decided he would likely need something that would burn easily. He looked around and at first he couldn’t see anything that would provide him this nice and easy starter. Maybe Ildin had something? That was possible he supposed. He put the ax back in his belt and then picked up the wood he had gathered. He thought he had gotten a decent amount and Ildin agreed with him. When he returned to where Ildin was she had strung up the deer and had it hanging by a tree vertically. She had already skinned the deer and had its pelt sitting aside and soaking in ammonia to help cure it. Ildin then spoke. “Good, now we need to start a fire and cook the meat. As much as we can.” She then pulled out a cast iron pan out of her pack as well as flint and steel. Ildin looked at the amount of wood Serrif brought and it would do if they worked fast. “I will come with you we will likely need a little more wood than that…and some starter as well.” She said as she then headed back into the forest Serrif following right behind her. They found the same tree Serrif had cut up earlier. She nodded and then spoke. “Find me dry and dead leaves. That will help us start the fire. I will cut up this tree some more and we can carry it back to camp.” Serrif nodded and then gathered the deadest and driest leaves he could find. There was a good amount of them on the ground and he easily could gather enough of them to start a fire. He gathered up a good amount and the entire time he could hear Ildin chopping some of the wood. He gathered some leaves and Ildin motioned to a bag near her. And Serrif put the leaves into the bag and Ildin handed him the ax. He chopped away at some more limbs and then shortened them as well so that they could have manageable lengths of wood as well as wood they could carry. They cut up about another seven limbs an then Ildin tapped him on the shoulder. He put the ax on his belt again and picked up some of the wood. The sun was up…but just barely as they headed back. They laid the wood back down in the pile and then Ildin motioned to a flatter more water worn area of the rock. “Build the fire there and we will start cooking the meat.” Serrif had seen fires built before, he knew how they were built but he had never done so himself. He remembered the slavers in his camp built cooking fires like a log cabin. So he mirrored those skills and set two pieces of wood on the bottom and then set two perpendicular on top of that. He also then put some leaves on the inside of the log cabin as well as some smaller sticks that would help the fire start. Ildin was watching and then came over. “Make sure you leave enough room to start the fire. And above all remember the fire has to breathe, don’t smother it with too much wood or fuel.” Serrif nodded and made some space inside the fire stack and continued to build up the log cabin a decent amount. He then figured he was done and ildin nodded. “Now start the fire.” She said handing him the flint and steel. He tried several times to spark the dry leaves on fire but without avail. He was growing somewhat frustrated when out of nowhere some of the leaves started to smoke gently. He blew gently on them and then they started to glow. Then after that they sparked a small fire that spread to the rest of the leaves. The fire had been started. The fire started and licked all the wood thoroughly. The smaller wood caught on fire first and the heat climbed as larger and larger pieces of dry fallen wood caught fire. After a good ten minutes it was obvious that the fire would keep going as long as more wood was thrown on it. Which Serrif did before Ildin again had a task for him. “Good now we need to carve out some of the deer and keep the fire up.”

[Serrif Von Chatlyn]

Ildin handed Serrif the knife and then walked over to where the deer was hanging up in the tree. Ildin had cleaned the deer up real nice for Serrif. All of the major organs were removed and the skin was peeled off expertly. That was something he knew he would need to learn to do eventually. But there would be other hunts for that he figured. Right now he was concerned with getting the meat cooked and prepared. It seemed they would be staying the night here. The deer was open and there was plenty of meat on it. Serrif knew there just wasn’t any way they would finish all of this meat tonight. He just couldn’t see himself eating that much. Ildin pointed to several areas of thick meat on the animal.

“It is rather simple really. Cut around the bones; everything else has been removed there is just meat here.” She waited for Serrif to then begin.

He figured he would start at the lowest part of the deer since it was half hanging by its upper legs and head. Most of the neck except for the backbone was all muscle. And he wasn’t sure if the backbone would support the weight of the rest of the body if he started cutting there instead of lower lessening the weight as he cut. He felt the legs and there were areas where there was good meat. He cut off what he could get and made sure not to take off any bone since he knew he couldn’t eat bone. The amount of meat that came off the hind legs was little. But it was indeed meat. Ildin laid out a tarp for him on the ground beside him for him to put the meat he carved on. He put the meat on the tarp and then continued upwards. The next section was the rear of the animal.

The easiest way he could see to do this was to cut it into three sections. One would be the area right above the hind leg, the other would be the middle area and the last would be the other area above the other hind leg. Of course it would all depend on how the bones laid under the muscle. He began cutting and noticed there didn’t seem to be a whole lot here. There were just little vertebrate bones to the tail and the tailbone. He still remained on course cutting like he wanted to. Making sure to not cut into bone and dull the extremely sharp knife that Ildin had given him to use. He carved slowly like he was operating only he was removing muscle from this deer. He got one area done and set it on the tarp. He then continued and carved off the other two sections. He was slow and even though the process was tedious he knew it was needed.

The next area was the deer’s flank. An area that was mostly meat and indeed was again easy for him to remove as long as he was careful, which he was especially when under Ildin’s watch. The meat was large in quantity especially in this area. He then cut up the dears loin and set it aside too. Again another relatively easy area to cut. But as he looked at the ribs he started to wonder if they would even be worth the time to remove the meat. But he knew if Konti killed something they wasted nothing. It was the way they operated everything was a gift, especially the dear of the isle. So many Konti didn’t even bother with hunting. Likely because of the mess it created when they went to cut up the deer. Ildin spoke advising Serrif.

“The next part is interesting you have a few choices. You can carve the meat off with the ribs and cook it that way. Or you can cut the meat off the ribs and cook it like that. It’s just a matter of how much time you want to spend.” Ildin was glad to see her student was picking up on this. And that he wasn’t hesitant either. He was obviously pretty hungry. Or maybe he always wanted to learn this skill…and now was just the time for him to learn. Either way she was glad to see that he had taken the initiative to get this done.

He thought it over in his head. He wanted to eat but at the same time leaving the ribs on the meat would make cooking it a great deal more difficult he believed. So he took the knife and cut the meat from between and around the ribs. The meat wasn’t much but he could feel how tender it was. He knew that eating it would be more than enjoyable then most of the other areas he had cut up. The meat that came off here was different in texture than anywhere else. It was interesting really. But he knew he would get a taste of it eventually. He slowly and tediously removed the meat from between the ribs and set it on the tarp. The butchering of this deer was going relatively well for him so far.

[Serrif Von Chatlyn]

Serrif continued and eventually finished butchering the deer and laying out the meat on the tarp Ildin had laid out for him. Once he finished he noticed just how much meat there was. It would take some time to cook it all; if that was what they were going to do with it all. He figured they would at least cook some of the meat for dinner tonight. Since it didn’t seem that they would be going back to the mainland anytime soon. It was going to be an interesting night. He could hear the fire crackling behind him. And well it was going pretty well he believed.

He looked to make sure it hadn’t died and it was still going strong. He picked up the tarp carefully and carried it over to the general area of the fire so he could easily put more meat on the fire as other meat cooked. He picked up the cast iron pan and then put some meat in it. He then carefully set the pan on a flat area of the fire on top of some of the wooden coals that had formed. Ildin was again watching carefully so that Serrif could and would learn good foundation skills. Because he would need to know these skills later.

He cooked the meat for a little while and then using a thick leather glove he grabbed the handle of the pan and used the knife to turn the meat. It wasn’t cooked all the way yet but he knew he was getting there eventually. The meat smelled good especially when it was cooking in the pan. He could only imagine how it would taste later. It would all likely taste wonderful especially since he had never had deer meat before…not that he remembered. But that was part of his rediscovery. He knew that he would need to learn these skills. And what better way to learn them then from someone who actually knew what they were doing?

He flipped the meat again and let it sizzle in the pan. He had all kinds of questions for Ildin that he wanted to ask her. All kinds of things that he knew that she would likely never answer. Why had she picked him out of all the possible people she could have taught? Why did she want to teach him with such ferocity. She had never let up on him and he knew she likely never would. She wanted to teach him lessons that only she could. But lately she had been even more direct in her teachings. Every single one of her lessons were even more demanding than usual. He didn’t know the reason for this but he did know that there had to be one. Ildin never did things just because. She always had a reason.

He watched the food cook and well he wasn’t really focused on anything else because he knew that he couldn’t really cook all that well. And if he let his attention be drawn somewhere else it was likely that he would ruin this good meat. So instead he focused on cooking . He was used to cooking fish but he had never cooked the meat of a deer before. He had the essentials down. But past that…well he wasn’t sure what he was really doing at all. So he instead just focused on everything he already knew from cooking fish. That made things easier for him and kept him focused as well. He was going to be learning a ton of things from Ildin. And he had her to thank for his thinking he could eventually leave the Isle and be well off when he finally did.

[Serrif Von Chatlyn]

He continued to cook meat and then laid the cooked bits on some paper. Ildin then wrapped the meat up and sealed it in some sort of glassware. Serrif figured his job here was to cook meat so he continued to do so. He found himself having to cut some of it into smaller pieces so that it would cook faster. The meat was good smelling but he still hadn’t tasted any himself. Eventually Ildin took one of the pieces and cut it into strips handing one for Serrif to eat.

“You will have to do this more than you think Serrif. You will have to hunt every now and then for your food and you need to be ready for it. Hunting isn’t easy, and neither is tracking. But your skills with the bow make it easier. You may want to ask Lym about poisons, more specifically hunting poisons. Just so you may not have to hunt down animals you don’t kill outright.”

Serrif nodded taking note that he will likely need to learn some simple hunting poisons. Ones that were designed for hunting because not all poisons could be cured easily out of the flesh…or he could just get better at his skills with the bow. Being skilled with the longbow was going to pay off in all kinds of ways for him. Hunting would be slightly easier for him as he knew that he could hit a target at a decent distance. And with a poisoned arrow all he had to do was simply hit his target. And he was sure he could do that from a decent distance away. All he needed was better knowledge of skinning and preparing deer. But for a first pass he thought he was doing well enough.

“Yeah, I don’t think I have learned any easy and effective hunting poisons yet.” He admitted remembering Lym had taught him a rather complex poison a few days ago.

[ “Almost nothing that is easy to come by is worth your time .” She said as she ate some of the meat strip she had cut for herself.

Serrif understood what she was saying, but at the same time he also knew that he couldn’t spend all his time preparing a complex poison just to hunt with. But at the same time he knew he couldn’t spend a ton of time hunting for prey and then not getting a kill. The poison would help him with this kill, but so would sharpening his other skills. But whatever the case he knew that eventually he would have to rely on his skills to provide for him. And that came as an easy realization for him. He was growing more and more comfortable with his skillset by the day.

“Yes Mistress, but there is a balance there as well.” He said as Ildin nodded and then shrugged.

Serrif spent a good amount of the night continuing to cook the deer he had and Ildin had cooked. He knew it would take some time but anything worth doing was indeed worth doing right the first time around. He continued to cook the meat until it was all done. Enjoying the strips of meat that Ildin handed him a she prepared the meat and preserved it for them. Eventually he was finished and using his rolled up cloak as a pillow he fell asleep until morning. When they would both head back to Mura.

Requests :

Skills
Hunting
Longbow
Tracking
Cooking
Wilderness Survival
Body Building (Carrying Deer)
Socialization
Stealth
Weapon (Dagger): Cutting Up Deer

Lore
Field Stripping a Deer
Butchering a Deer
Starting a Fire

Items :

Deer Meat
Deer Hide